In the middle of India, a country of 1.3 billion people and 80 million of them orphans, sits an orphanage that is trying to change the lives of children, one heart at a time.

A group of youths from Glasgow Baptist Church joined the Crossroads team out of North Carolina on a trip to that orphanage in December and they all came back with a different point of view.

“You can’t go there and not be changed,” said Clifton Phelps, minister of youth and missions at Glasgow Baptist Church. “It’s an amazing thing, an amazing trip. It makes you realize you take a lot for granted. We go for the purpose of encouraging them and we end up being encouraged and changed.”

This was the second trip to the orphanage for Phelps.

The orphanage, which was opened in 2001 by two people who were simply doing what God called them to do, Phelps said, can currently only hold 47 kids, but with a little help, they’ll be able to take in many more.

“They’ve purchased some land and they’re building a new facility out there,” Phelps said. “It’ll have cottages to hold 25 kids each plus the host family. They still like about $150,000 to build out there.”

The church helped out some by paying to build the wall surrounding the new facility.

“The wall is important to create a safe environment for the kids,” Phelps said. “To do the first phase, which was five cottages, build the wall, get electricity and other things was about $250,000, which is not much here, but India’s a poor country. They need America’s help with this and our church has been able to do a little.”

Phelps said that for about a third of the trip, the group was able to go out and help construct the wall. They also were able to go get Christmas presents for the children, including outfits for some who had never had new clothes before.

“It was truly amazing to see these kids who have absolutely nothing, but yet they’re as happy as can be,” he said. “They want to hold your hand and are just happy to be with you. Some also remembered us from the last trip. They came up and asked how my wife and daughter were. They had remembered and committed to pray for us, these kids that have nothing.”

Phelps said the couple who runs the orphanage started out with nothing, too, and have worked to help give the orphans of India a chance.

“They want to make a difference in the world and they told me they simply do it one heart at a time,” he said. “You think about 80 million orphans and it’s overwhelming. They don’t think about that, they just do it one heart at a time.”

Phelps said that anyone who would like to join the trip next December with Crossroads can contact him at Glasgow Baptist Church at 651-2186 for information.